Devices that provide electrical signal outputs and/or are controlled by electrical signal inputs are referred to generally as input/output (I/O) devices. The I/O devices convert electrical signals into raw digital or analog values and convert digital or analog values into electrical control signals, which are usually interpreted by remotely hosted software into meaningful outputs. Some I/O devices use multiple signals to communicate the information, such as A-quad-B encoders that represent incremental changes both in the amount and direction of shaft rotations. Typically, the remotely hosted software is programmed with specific knowledge of the I/O device to enable monitoring and control of the I/O device, which may include tens of thousands of I/O points along with forms of redundancy to support various different I/O functions as desired.